The Closet
by DarkScales
Summary: In which there is a closet, an akuma, and revealed identities. Oneshot.


**So, um... I kind of fell headfirst into the Miraculous Ladybug fandom a week or two ago, and now I can't stop shipping these two dorks. Seriously. The show is kind of kiddy and silly, but it's really cute and relaxing to watch when I'm stressed, so I blew through all eight episodes within the span of around a week or so. Also, I had many plot bunnies. This is one of them. Kind of cheesy and stupid, not betaed or anything and really short, but whatever. I felt like posting it anyways. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Miraculous Ladybug. It's not even out in my country yet. I'm watching the Korean ones with English subs. :P**

* * *

Adrien growled low under his breath as he pushed futilely at the door, which refused to budge no matter how many times he rammed or kicked it. It felt like there was something large and heavy blocking it beyond the lock, something far too heavy for his mere human strength to budge.

"It's no use," he huffed, rubbing his shoulder. "We're stuck."

Adrien turned to the back of the closet, where Marinette stood beside a bucket and mop. She was frowning deeply, lips pursed and brow furrowed as she stared past him at the door. He sighed, forcibly stopping his fingers from twitching towards his bag. Plagg was waiting in there, he knew, ready for an opportunity to transform.

Except... no. Marinette was _right there._ He couldn't reveal himself, even though he was fairly sure she could keep a secret.

On the other hand, though, the akuma was wreaking havoc outside and it didn't sound like Ladybug had made her appearance yet. They needed him out there, if only to keep the akuma stalled until his partner arrived. Where was she, anyways? Ladybug usually showed up pretty soon after any akuma appeared…

Too full of nervous energy to stay still, Adrien paced. Or, well, attempted to pace, since there was really only enough room to take a couple steps in either direction. Escape plans were created, considered, and discarded. Eventually, he gave it up and had to admit it. There was no way out unless he became Chat Noir, and used his Cataclysm to break through. At that point, it looked as if he'd have to trust his classmate to keep her mouth shut and-

"Um, Adrien?" Marinette asked nervously, breaking into his train of thought. "Are you- are you alright? You seem really nervous." She attempted a shaky smile, hands clutched tight around her purse. "Don't worry. Chat Noir's gonna save us," she added confidently, strangely at odds with her previous stuttering insecurity.

"Not Ladybug?" Adrien replied absentmindedly, suppressing another, deeper, growl. He flexed his fingers, wishing they were claws instead. If he'd had a real tail it would've been lashing furiously.

Marinette squeaked, face going bright red. "Oh! Um, yes! Of course! L-Ladybug will save us too!" she hastily tacked on, going right back to her seemingly habitual stutter. Then, under her breath, she muttered, "If she can get out of this _stupid_ closet…"

Adrien stopped dead in his tracks. He probably wasn't supposed to have heard that, but ever since becoming Chat Noir, he'd noticed that his senses were slightly better than average. A carryover from his feline traits while in costume, perhaps. It wasn't a very large space, either, and they _were_ standing rather close.

"What?" he asked. "What did you say?"

Marinette _eeped_ and covered her mouth with her hands. "Nothing! Nothing!"

"No, no." Adrien moved a bit closer, and didn't miss the way her bag suddenly appeared to bulge out slightly of its own accord. "You said, 'if she can out of this stupid closet'. How do you know she's in a closet?"

Marinette stammered out something incomprehensible. She had backed up all the way against the wall, back pressed against the wood and just about shrinking under his questioning gaze. Her bag bulged out even further.

Adrien could only stare, the gears of his mind working in overtime. She'd said, ' _this_ stupid closet'. As in, referring to the one they were both in. Right now. And… she had the build for Ladybug, too. Same height, same hairstyle- for goodness' sake, her eyes were even the exact same color!

" _Ladybug?!_ " he blurted out in disbelief. "Marinette, are you-?"

The girl let out a pained groan and covered her face. "Oh, _no,_ " she nearly wailed. "I'm sorry, you weren't supposed to find out like this I have to keep it a secret I'm really _really_ sorry-"

Adrien couldn't help it. He started to laugh. All this time, she'd been _right there,_ sitting behind him almost every single day in class! All this time! How hadn't he seen it before?

"N-no, it's fine," he managed to get out as he calmed himself down. "It's just- I can't believe I never saw it! We spend hours together every day, and I _never even noticed-_ " he stopped, unable to wipe the grin that had spread across his face. "My Lady, _I'm_ Chat Noir."

She stared at him for a long moment. " _WHAT?!_ "

"It's true," piped up a high voice from her bag. The top opened and little red creature came flying out, antennae bobbing up and down. "Hi!" she waved cheerfully. "I'm Tikki."

Plagg chose that moment to squeeze his way out of Adrien's bag and fly up to what appeared to be Ladybug's kwami. "Hey, Tikki!" he greeted. "Long time no see!"

"And that's Plagg," Adrien sighed. "Um. So. Hi?"

Marinette gaped at him. After what seemed like forever, she finally pulled herself together and shook her head.

"Okay, sure. Adrien is Chat. Okay. But-" she was interrupted by a _CRASH-crack-crack-crack_ sound from outside, "-right now, we need to get out of here and take down that akuma," she finished, shelving her confused mess of emotions aside for later.

Adrien smirked. "As you wish, My Lady," he replied with a salute and a cocky grin. "Transform: Chat Noir! Cataclysm!"

* * *

The way Ladybug and Chat Noir ended up revealing their identities to each other was nowhere near what either of them had predicted. It wasn't even on purpose. Really, if it hadn't been for that akuma trapping them in the closet together, it wouldn't have ever happened.

Except that it did, and there was chaos and revelations and odd sense of relief because _they'd been pining after each other this entire time what the heck,_ along with a generally feeling of _oh good_ finally _we don't have to hide._

(They decided to stay just friends, though, in the end. At least until everything was sorted out and they adjusted to knowing each other both in and out of the costumes. Though, considering that their feelings were certainly reciprocated, a certain pair of kwami were fairly sure that a relationship was going to develop quite soon…)

Of course, it was awkward at first, learning how to act when their dual personas had suddenly started bleeding into each other. There were moments when Adrien slipped into his comfortable, rather cocky and flirtatious mindset of Chat Noir when talking to Marinette during school, or when Marinette forgot that they weren't racing across the Parisian rooftops as she competed against him during an obstacle course at gym class. The opposite held true as well- Chat Noir might lapse into stretches of time when he acted closed-off and hid his feelings, or Ladybug blushed and couldn't help her stutter when she nearly called him _Adrien_ on patrol.

Still, everything did eventually work out, and the teens eventually figured out how to balance their superhero lives and school lives without letting them bleed too much into each other. They grew closer as a result, each being the only one who fully understood the other. No more secrets. No more hiding.

Nearly a month later Adrien finally worked up the courage to ask Marinette out on a date. Funnily enough, she'd been planning to ask the same thing. He had just… spoken faster.

And, for once, they managed to get through it without any akuma attacks at all. Thank goodness.


End file.
